Bumpers are one of the most utilitarian parts of a car: They're there to take a beating and protect the more aesthetically appealing components between them. But like any part of an automobile, customizers have found a number of ways to modify, swap, and even eliminate the dutiful bumper.
Keeping with this tradition, Paul Bonderson, longtime customer of Roy Brizio Street Rods, wanted to change the look of his '36 roadster. He'd already chosen to replace the stock '36 grille with a handmade stainless '37-style piece from Grille Art, so he wanted a bumper that would look smooth and updated while still retaining the vintage theme. The rear bumper from a '40 Ford pickup seemed the obvious choice for both ends.
The swap was fairly straightforward; besides bending and slightly modifying the brackets, we filled the stock bumper bolt holes and made some mounting plates for the bumper brackets. Most customizers simply weld bolts to the backs of the bumpers when shaving them, but a freshly chromed bumper may dimple if you torque the nut too hard, so we chose to be extra cautious.
We used '40 Ford brackets up front, since the outer brackets are so much different between '36 and '40. For the rear, however, '36 brackets don't mount directly to the frame the way '40 brackets do, so we opted to use the stock-style '36 brackets.
The result is a perfect example of Brizio's typical style: a subtle and elegant improvement on Ford's original design. With a coat of paint and a little bit of chrome, these '40 bumpers are going to look right at home on Paul's '36 roadster.
